A mobile office on the Buddh International circuit on most days would sound ridiculous, but today, we at carandbike decided that we might as well do it. Why? Well, when you have a Kia EV6 parked around this is exactly the type of thing it enables. You can plug in your gadgets and power them up like nobody’s business and chug along with the daily minutia of work. I was even planning on bringing my iMac, but that didn’t work out for logistical reasons, but the EV6 can handle it. Yes, this is the type of stuff I’m going to be talking about in this carandbike tech check because Siddharth has all the dope on the EV6 in his exclusive review..So, without further delay, let’s hop in!”
Before running ragged, let’s be clear, the EV6 was bound to come with a bag full of tech tricks as it is for all intents and purposes not only Kia’s first EV in India but its most expensive car which competes with numerous German stalwarts. This means like a Mercedes you’re looking at dual horizontal screens that give you the spaceship vibe inside.
Lane keep assist system on the EV6 works quite reliably
You get a litany of ADAS features in multi-collision braking, AEB, lane-keeping assist, lane follow assist and blind-spot collision warning with rear cross-traffic collision avoidance. The GT line of the car also features parking collision avoidance assist, a reverse surround view monitor with a 3D model and a blind-spot view monitor. There is also a tyre pressure monitoring system built-in. The car comes with ABS, BAS, ESC, Hill hold assist, highway driving assist and vehicle stability management. Most of these features also worked quite adeptly on the Buddh International Circuit where we tested the car.
The EV6 gets plush and modern interiors which give it the spaceship vibe
The EV6 has easily the most sophisticated interiors for a Kia – but now it needs to compete in the premium luxury segment with many European brands. This means it needs to measure up in functionality, innovation and fit and finish. While it may fall short on fit and finish slightly, there is no doubt there is a lot of tech that works also quite seamlessly.
You also get a heads up display that presents information in the form of augmented reality. It merges information that the car is generating and gathering from its sensors and overlays it on top of the window. And generally, all the information is presented in the form of a very slick graphical user interface on the twin 12.3-inch screens which are horizontally aligned. The interface itself will remind you of an Android smartphone with purple icons that are easy to understand and touch. The screen is curved and nicely legible with a simple to use interface. The new Kia infotainment experience is very customisable as well. You also get appointments like wired aa we Apple CarPlay and Android Auto apart from wireless charging that now gets 15-watt fast-charge capability and along with 3 USB Type C ports. You also get a USB A port and an AC charging port on the back row for things like laptops.
It doesn’t get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
This was a nice touch as most wireless chargers are painstakingly slow to charge the phone and often there is a paucity of USB ports. Kia has paid attention to the fact that most modern gadgets now are on USB Type C while not disregarding someone with an older gadget as there is a USB A port for the sake of redundancy as well. The bad bit is that a car of its price point doesn’t get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Below the main screen, there is another screen for the climate control functions all underpinned by capacitive touch technology. It can also be switched to control the radio and music on the car which provides another layer of redundancy.
The car gets 4 USB ports
One of these USB Ports can be used to run USB OTG functionality from your phone – so that you can play your own music if music streaming isn’t your jam. And if you’re the prickly kind who obsesses over the quality of sound in your vehicle the Meridian audio sound system on the EV6 will impress. There are 14 speakers and this isn’t your run of the mill Bose audio system that we have seen in Hyundai’s and Kia’s of yesteryear. This is top of the line stuff that delivers an impressive sound stage, presence and an overall sweat balance between mid-range, bass and treble.
It comes with an excellent Meridian sound system
However, at the price, perhaps, this may not be the best considering we just checked out a 15 speaker Burmester setup with 3D audio on the C300D and the B&W system on the Volvo XC60 Mild Hybrid delivers a sense of aural witchcraft. The Meridian Audio setup shines through when you’re playing complex nuanced music like smooth jazz or stone-cold blues. Its power can be felt with hypnotic deep house and techno, but if you’re just listening to AP Dhillon on this then it will not feel special. Just extremely good. All of this is further embellished with the ambient lighting function which creates a vibe when you’re playing your favourite music.
Kia Connect comes with exclusive EV6 features
There is a new version of Kia Connect as well on this car which has been designed keeping its electric underpinnings in mind. You get a bunch of features that facilitate remote charging management and also integrations to find charging stations nearby. Overall there are 60 features as a part of Kia Connect. Usual appointments like remote climate control, geo-fencing, smart tailgate opening, and driver telematics are also offered. There is a remote surround-view control which is totally out of James Bond and the usual remote start and unlock features. This feature is very handy as it allows the user to remotely keep on his/her car and its surroundings over a mobile connection. It worked quite seamlessly at BIC where the network was quite terrible for Jio and Vodafone users. What was interesting is how well and simplistically these features worked as opposed to other connected cars, even so, ones by premium brands that the EV6 competes within its price segment.
It gets AC charging by way of a port inside the car and an adaptor for the main charging port
As mentioned earlier, this car can power any household gadget. It can even power a massive 75-inch LED TV or an iMac. All one needs is a converter for its charging gun which will allow you to plug in an AC adaptor which Kia will sell separately from the vehicle. The KV6 can even charge another EV in case of an emergency which is Uber cool. There is an AC adaptor inside the car as well so if the need arose for some work to be done on your laptop, the EV6 has you covered.
The main charging port can also power big electronics items like a TV
The EV6 looks radical. It feels like something from the future from the outside and will turn heads. But even from the inside, while not as head-turning it feels like a spaceship that works. And its electric underpinnings mean that it is clean, and frugal with it being the first one in India to offer more than 500 km of range with the ability to power your household gadgets as well. Tech-wise it even stacks up very competitively to the snotty German competition – there are just two questions you need to ask yourself – do you want to pay so much for a Kia? And are you okay with an EV and the related range anxiety issues?